Will this work?

[FlareBettaGuy]

Instead of trying to grow the beneficial bacteria, I can just get some. Like I mentioned in my last post, there was this fuzzy white fungus stuff everywhere in the water. Some were small, but the ones floating on the top are big. They also like to stick to the plants, and they are growing, even though I am doing water changes daily. I don't have time to wait weeks for the beneficial bacteria to come, because my betta will problebly die by then from the fungus growth. So I decided that I should give the tank a good hot water cleaning like I did last time, scrub the plants, and scrub the sides of the one gallon tank. Put everything back in, put the Tetra Aquasafe Dechlorinator in, add my betta, and then go to the LFS to get some gravel. Not the gravel you get in the packages, but wet gravel directly from the tanks they keep the fish in. I can sprinkle some gravel in the clean tank, and they will multiply. Soon, they will be in large numbers, and prevent the fungus and cloudiness from comming back once and for all. Will this work? What precautions and ways could I try to make it work? Thanks!

 

[dunc_man_fishy]

Well quite simply no it wont work. The beneficial bacteria most often spoken about on this forum will only reduce ammonia nitrite levels. The fungus must be due to some other problem ie overfeeding or some contamainant. If the tank has been running for some time you will have established bacteria anyway. Cleaning the tank will KILL the bacteria and you will lose the betta anyway to ammonia/nitrite poisioning. What kind of filter are you using? Perhaps you should clean the tank sides with the tank still running and let the filter mop up the loose fungus. There are also fish medications to reduce fungus on fish perhaps this may help.

Hope this helps.

 

[FlareBettaGuy]

Oh, that's a discoragement... It's still good to have some beneficial bacteria in so that just in CASE I get some ammonia and nitrate, they will be there, right? They will still multiply, right? My betta is in a one gallon "tank". It looks more like one of those bug containers than a tank, but it still works fine. Besides the fungus. I have no filter. Bettas do not like water currents. ESPECIALLY in a contaier as small as the one I have right now. I did a complete water change with hot water before, and nothing happened. Anyone know how to get rid of this fungus? I'm afraid that it will start to grow on my betta. And will the bacteria still multiply if I do the hot water cleanup, and then put the gravel containing the bacteria in with the completely new water, right? I'm just really worried, that's all.

 

[dunc_man_fishy]

Okay as you have no filter (you could use a sponge one like i use on my breeding tank - no current but would take up too much space prob) any bacteria would be in the gravel, and the gravel is your filter. So if you do a full water change try and keep the gravel in oxygenated dechlorinated water. You could do a complete strip down but try to find the source of the fungus. Is there some rotten food, a new plant etc??

If you have to clean the gravel too remove fungus spores, try and get some gravel from and established tank to give the bacteria a kick start as especially the nitrite eating bacteria can take weeks to establish.

Unfortunately with ammonia/nitrite poisioning it may not cause death immediately but can damage gills etc, so may cause them to be more prone to other illness.


See


Cycling Intro

 

[FlareBettaGuy]

The fungus seems to be damaging the plants as well. Leaves are falling off.